The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot (second from right), Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (second from left), Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (top center), and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (bottom center) converse during a meeting at the Quai d'Orsay, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Paris, on May 23, 2025. (Credit: Teresa Suarez/AFP.)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud stated that the Israeli government's refusal to allow a delegation of Arab ministers to visit the occupied West Bank was a testament to its "extremism and rejection of peace."
He made this statement during a joint press conference in Amman with his counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain, following their meeting as part of an Arab contact group that was set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
"Israel's refusal to allow the committee's visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and rejection of any serious attempt to find a peaceful pathway [...] This strengthens our resolve to intensify diplomatic efforts within the international community to confront this arrogance," said the Saudi minister.
On Saturday, Israel announced that it would not permit the scheduled meeting on Sunday, which was to include ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, according to Palestinian Authority officials. Prince Faisal's visit to the West Bank would have been the first visit of its kind by a senior Saudi official in recent memory.
'Provocative meeting'
An Israeli official stated that the ministers intended to participate in a "provocative meeting" to discuss promoting the creation of a Palestinian state. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the blockade of this trip was a new example of how Israel "kills any chance for a fair and comprehensive Israeli-Arab settlement."
An international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to be held in New York from June 17 to 20 to discuss the issue of creating a Palestinian state.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the conference would address security measures to be taken after a cease-fire in Gaza and reconstruction plans to ensure that Palestinians remain on their land and thwart any Israeli plans to expel them.
Israel is under increasing pressure from the United Nations and European countries, which support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.
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